Numbuh 322
by Depthcharge2030
Summary: Story 7: Once confined to an untamed land by outside forces, Numbuh 322 (Kayla Valera) struggles to assimilate back into the Kids Next Door's command structure. Now attending mandatory therapy sessions, she deals with the knowledge that the ones who wronged her now plan a repeat performance.
1. Island Survivor

**Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening. Welcome to the first chapter of 'Numbuh 322'! The 7th in my series in have dubbed 'Legends Universe'! This story is preceded by 'Numbuh C4', which is also being written at the time of this publishing.**

 **This story follows the adventures of an OC character, try to keep an open mind!**

 **Warning: Before you start reading, note the 'T' rating. That's PG-13 in my book. I'm pushing PG-13.**

* * *

 **Legends Universe: Story 7**

 **Numbuh 322**

 **28 September, 2005**

The Jungle was loud, she recalled. She had no clue where in the world she was, last thing she recalled was being thousands of miles above the ocean on a plane to visit her mother in Mexico. Now the plane was in pieces, black smoke fuming out the engines and survivors funneling out of the various broken sections. She heard children crying. There were adults, some hurt, others shouting profanities.

The Jungle was loud, like someone held a trumpet to her head and went to town playing Yankee Doodle. She could feel the eyes watching her from the tree line, their dark intent glowering down on them.

She felt powerless. The world had taken a cruel turn and subjected her to the island and its vast jungle of beasts. The plane died. The people screamed. She's back there standing in the wreckage as the world fell apart. She's back there on the Island knowing no one would come and save them.

The eyes were looking down at her. They were staring into her soul, searching for weakness. She was there, staring into the blank eyes of nature, succumbing to the shock. She recalled blinking, opening her eyes and watching the horror unfold.

She was there on the Island.

"-talk about The Island-"

But now she's on The Moon Base.

Kayla Valera was her name. Daughter of a seamstress in Mexico and prison warden in America. To many she was the girl on the plane that crashed that one time. Other times she was Numbuh 322, loyal operative of the Kids Next Door.

She snaps out of her thoughts, turning and looking at the KND appointed therapist sitting behind the desk in front of her. Numbuh 113 was younger than herself, not by much however. She had glasses and spoke in a manner that portrayed maturity beyond her years. For the most part, that unsettled her.

"Numbuh 322, are you listening?" Numbuh 113 spoke

"Sorry." Numbuh 322 apologized halfheartedly. "You were saying?"

"I think it's time that we discussed The Island." Numbuh 113 said, keeping her eyes trained on Numbuh 322, hoping to identify any odd shifts in her body language.

"I think that topic has been talked to death." Numbuh 322 muttered. "My plane crashed. I got off the Island. End of story."

"I think you're downplaying your experience." Numbuh 113 leaned forward, resting her elbows on her wooden desk, pressing her index fingers against her nose. "Sometimes after traumatic events, we recede. We shut ourselves in and keep others out."

"We're the ids Next Door, we build trees on Moons." Numbuh 322 retorted. "If anything, what I experienced was baby stuff compared to what we do."

"Baby stuff?" Numbuh 113 raised a brow. "An odd choice of wording, Kayla."

Numbuh 322's eyes narrowed, staring at her appointed therapist with contempt filled eyes. "I'd prefer you address me by my code number."

"Noted." Numbuh 113 remarked. "But why 'Baby Stuff'?"

"I'm an operative like you, Numbuh 113." Numbuh 322 shrugged, not really in the mood to talk any longer. "I'm one in a thousand. I can take a little plane crash."

"Except there were two hundred other souls on that flight." Numbuh 113 sat back in her chair, recalling from memory the headlines of various newspapers and twenty four hour media coverage. "'Brave girl found adrift. Leads rescue to Missing Plane'. The media spun it for a couple of days, omitting your KND connections of course. Can't have an operative saving adults now, they might start to like us."

"Are we done yet?" Numbuh 322 asked, slumping in her chair slightly.

"Our session will conclude after I'm satisfied with today's progress." Numbuh 113 answered plainly. "One final question."

"Shoot." Numbuh 322

"You landed on the island on a plane. They found you on a raft at sea. Those are the facts that 'have' been discussed to death." Numbuh 113 began. "You were on the Island for a month. What happened to you there?"

She's back on the island again. The animals all around her, their fur changing rapidly, blending wand standing out all at the same time. She recalled screaming, but couldn't discern who was screaming. Was it the adults? Or Numbuh 322 herself?

"I-I…" Numbuh 322 held a hand to her forehead as she thought for a moment. "I don't remember. We good?"

Numbuh 113 let out a sigh. "Yes, I guess." Numbuh 322 got up from where she sat, grabbing her combat satchel by the chair legs and walking for the door. "Numbuh 274 has us scheduled for another session tomorrow, Numbuh 322. Don't forget!"

Numbuh 322 waved her hand up, acknowledging her appointed therapist without looking back. She reached out for the door handle and was gone out the door.

* * *

 **Location Unknown**

 **Teen Ninja Hideout**

Within a marble room with red and black tapestries resided a circular desk. Around the desk sat ten teens, some wearing Battle Ready Armor, others in normal civilian attire. As of late, the Teen Ninjas had suffered a huge blow in their intelligence gathering operations. Deep operatives uncovered and exposed.

"Why'd you call this meeting, Natasha?" A girl with long blonde hair asked dryly as she leaned in her seat, addressing a girl across the table who appeared to be dressed in formal wear who just now took her seat.

The girl raised a brow. "I thought you called this meeting, ma'am. Your building, your unit."

"Yeah, I thought it was you ma'am." An armored teen spoke up.

"Actually, I called you all here." Ten pairs of eyes shot to the door. Standing in the entrance was a boy in purple Battle Ready Armor, flanked on his left by a hooded girl in standard armor.

"Reese Martin." The blonde haired girl let out a slight sigh. "You have half a minute to explain yourself before I have Varsity Linemen escort you the hell out of here."

"Relax, ma'am, I'm just here to talk. It's a meeting after all." The boy in purple armor, Reese, played of the threat. He sauntered towards the table and began to walk around the gathered ten teens.

"Recently, I can't help but notice we've hit a snag in operations." Reese addressed the gathered teens. "Years of undercover work gone in a day. A day. The KND just pulled the rug out from under us and we're falling."

"Get to the point, Reese." The blonde ordered, visibly irritated.

"Those snot nosed brats won." Reese spat, causing many of the teens to glare at him. The blonde remained unmoved. "They won, a battle." He added. "Me and my associate, Galil." He gestured to his companion standing in the doorway. "The two of us have been thinking, and we say it's time we struck back."

"How do you suppose we do that?" The girl, Natasha spoke up. "We're an intelligence agency. We infiltrate and gather said intelligence."

"You think too small Natasha." Reese laughed. "We already possess the means to do anything we want. We could've been rid of the KND years ago! Yet we just stood in the shadows blending in, passing on useless information when we could've been slitting throats or accidently launching operatives out of airlocks!"

"You're not about to suggest we put a bomb on a plane again?" Natasha said in disgust.

"No." Reese stated bluntly. "I'm going to put a bomb on the Moon Base."

"You're a god damn terrorist you know that?" One of the teens shouted angrily.

"Sticks and stones, man. Sticks and stones." Reese laughed. "Think about it. We blow up the Moon Base, the KND will be in disarray. It will be chaos and a mad dash to get everything back in order."

"Heck!" Reese shouted smugly. "You can even take the places of some of the kids caught in the explosion. That should constitute as intelligence gathering."

"This is insane!" Natasha shouted. "He said this with the plane months ago! Have any of you forgotten? He blew up a plane with a KND operative on it! People died and the kid lived!"

"Well how about it then?" Reese turned to the blonde. "How about it ma'am? All those dead kids would provide the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the KND all over again. What took years we'd be able to do in minutes."

The blonde haired girl narrowed her eyes, glaring at Reese. "I've never been one for mass murder. But such an event would be a god shot for our organization. A crippled Kids Next Door and the perfect opportunity to once again shadow their ranks from within."

"Ma'am, you can't honestly be going along with this guy's madness?" Natasha

"It appears I am." The blonde muttered. "You'd best be off then Reese, all of Leviathan's resources are at your disposal. Just get it done."

"Thank you ma'am, you won't be disappointed." Reese smirked. He turned for the doorway and practically skipped out the room, followed closely behind by Galil.

"What have we just done?" Natasha shouted, mortified.

"You didn't do anything, Natasha." The blonde stood from her seat and began to walk towards the exit. "Whatever happens is on me. I'll report to The Steve and inform him of Reese's plan. I need you all to report to our agents and prepare them for infiltration. This will be our finest hour whether we like it or not."

"Long live Leviathan." She said coldly as she left the room.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading 'Numbuh 322'! 'Til next time my dear reader! Later Days!**


	2. Aim Low

**Good Morning! Good Afternoon! Good Evening! Welcome to chapter 2 of Numbuh 322! I decided on a song for this story, a theme song! 'Flaws' by Bastille.**

 **Warning: Rated T for 'Topical'.**

* * *

'Good Hunting'. Numbuh 274 had said to her like usual. He gave her what she needed to know: her target. The rest was on her.

Numbuh 322 recalled the weight of the 2x4 sniper rifle that day. She'd made special modifications the day prior, a dual firing mode switch that changed the scale of battle if she'd ever gotten into a jam.

At the time she'd hollowed out an AC unit on the side of a corporate building, using that as her hiding spot as she kept an eye on the courtyard. She watched through the scope, waiting for her target to make a move.

The guy's name was Justin Cavallero. He has stupidly tall hair and a certain swagger in his steps that betrayed the location of his concealed laser pistol located on his left hip.

From the dossier she'd been given prior, she was informed of Justin Cavallero's history with the KND. He'd acted as an ambassador and arrived on the Moon Base on the pretense of peace. It had turned out to be farce in the end. Cavallero had only been there to present an opportunity for an assassin to kill Numbuh 274. Luckily the assassin had decided to use a cheap explosive instead of a bullet. That gave Numbuh 274 a fighting chance to pull through.

Global Command wanted him shadowed, and if an opportunity presented itself, a rubber slug jammed in each knee, that would teach them.

No one crosses the Kids Next Door!

She'd tracked his movements, watched him chat up some blonde haired girl, but she didn't seem too interested. Numbuh 322 decided that was the best time to take her shot, maybe do the guy a favor even, seeing as he was striking out so bad. She took aim and readied to pull the trigger.

The only thing she hadn't counted on was pair of birds flying in the way. The birds took the hit for Cavallero. Both he and the girl ran off. The mission was a bust.

That all happened right before the crash. Her last mission before taking a vacation to visit her family in Mexico.

"When can I go back into the field?" Numbuh 322 asked Numbuh 274.

They were in the Moon Base's command center. Some operatives were busy playing with a Frisbee nearby while others were lounging around computers. It was a slow day and most of the operatives had been exhausted with their recent activities in purging hidden teenagers amongst their ranks. It was a noticeable difference from before then, before they knew. There were a number of seats left vacant, having once been occupied by teens themselves.

Numbuh 274 looked up at Numbuh 322. He sat at his desk while she stood next to him, waiting for an answer. Numbuh 274 set his pen down beside his paperwork. "We've already had this discussion, Kayla." He said sadly.

"And we're having it again, sir." She asserted.

Numbuh 274 squeezed his temples and released a stressed sigh. "You do understand who you're talking to, right?"

Numbuh 322 glanced at her feet, unable to meet Numbuh 274's gaze. She'd overstepped her position. "I'm sorry, sir. I just feel that my talents would be better served out of an office and in the field, doing what I do best."

"Let me tell you, Kayla, but I keep tabs on all my operatives." Numbuh 274 looked away from Numbuh 322 and at the glass dome above, staring out into space. "I take notice of who they are and why they are. That's why recent events have been so difficult lately, that my understanding of my fellow operatives and friends hasn't been as I once thought."

"You missed that, you missed all of that harsh unravelling. The Kayla I knew of, the effective operative who took orders and would never speak to a superior in such a deeming tone left on that plane." Numbuh 274 turned his eyes back on Numbuh 322. "That's why you're having these sessions with Numbuh 113. Until we have an idea of how big that metaphorical chip on your shoulder is, you're a liability. To me and your fellow operatives."

"And for that I am truly sorry that we can't just take a leap of faith on you, Kayla." Numbuh 274 reached out for his pen on his desk and began to play with it in his hands. "No field work. End of discussion."

Numbuh 322 shut her eyes and bit her lip. She didn't want to show any malice towards Numbuh 274. The Supreme Leader was visibly stressed, he was just doing his job, looking out for the best interests of the KND as a whole. That's what she told herself at least.

"Sorry, sir." Numbuh 322 apologized. Without another word, Numbuh 322 walked off.

Numbuh 274 looked up from his paperwork to watch her leave. The KND Supreme Leader shook his head and let out a remorseful sigh.

Numbuh 322 walked down the halls of the Moon Base, feeling anxious. A couple of operatives walked by, recognizing her and applauded her actions.

"There were 15 kids on that plane, Numbuh 322!" One shouted. "They found them because of you!"

Numbuh 322 gave them an awkward smile and kept on walking.

Time passed and she soon found herself in the Moon Base Cafeteria. After lunch, there was barely anyone present, only a few stragglers and the occasional Numbuh 65.3, hoping to get second helpings before getting called up to get back to work.

She sat in the corner of the room, behind a pillar, essentially hiding herself from her peers. It had been a while since she zoned out, so she did.

Numbuh 322 found herself back on The Island. It was just her, she recalled. The beasts in the trees had lunged out of hiding, there and yet not there at all. The survivors of the crash scattered, running in different directions as they were chased.

Numbuh 322's shell shocked legs carried her as far as they could before giving out on her. She was in a cave, she could hear all the screaming. The screaming wouldn't stop. She just laid on the rocky floor and tried her best to sleep for days, but the screaming never stopped. She shut her eyes and hoped that awful screaming would end.

She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with one of the ravenous beasts, staring her in the eyes, drooling as its jagged teeth stuck out of its mouth. The beast lunged at her. She recalled being tired, barely having anything left to give. She reached out for a rock when it rammed her.

By the end of it, Numbuh 322 knelt down beside the ugly beast, the rock she'd grabbed firmly lodged in its skull. She cried a lot that day. She didn't stop crying for a while.

When she snapped out of her thoughts, Numbuh 322 found herself crying. She brushed strand of her curly hair, left damp after allowing them to hang low over her eyes, and proceeded to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

Numbuh 322 sat there, alone for a while longer. Eventually time caught up with her when it hit dinner hour. A number of operatives began to funnel into the cafeteria, hoping to get something to eat before they got in so they wouldn't have to eat whatever vegetables their parents had instore for them back home.

Numbuh 322 got up and moved along, not having it in her to eat. She made her way to the landing bays, where she caught a transport home.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

 **Teen Ninja Hideout**

Natasha Vinson was a teenager. She was 15. A tech expert by trade, should found herself working for the Teen Ninjas as a tech support operative, often acting as a moderator for their online video games, and even helping develop games themselves.

In short, Natasha wasn't a murderer. She helped her Teen Ninja division do many things, but she never once thought she'd be helping them murder hundreds in an instant. That wasn't what she signed up for. She felt sick, having just come out of the marble tiled office room, where she'd just learned her boss had sanctioned an insane boy's plan to murder untold amounts of children.

Natasha went back to her office, not saying much to anyone on the way. For all she knew, that freak Reese and his groupie Galil we're raiding the Hideout's armory, discussing the many ways they could infiltrate the Moon Base with the schematics Leviathan had acquired over years of hiding amongst the KND brats.

She sat down in her office chair, mulling over recent events. She found herself in a moral predicament. She can't let Reese commit such an atrocity. The blood he would spill would be on her hands as well.

Natasha shot up from her desk and quickly walked down the hall to her boss's office. Without knocking, Natasha pushed open the door, finding her Boss in the middle of a phone call.

"Development of the weapon you required has hit a snag." The blonde haired teen spoke into the phone. She took note of Natasha's presence and simply held up a finger, telling her to wait a minute.

"What do you mean, Snag?" The voice over the phone asked angrily.

"The Kids Next Door butted in. They demolished the lab and even took our lead scientist into custody." She spoke dryly. "All data was, however, backed up and sent to our remote server before Darwin wiped everything. You will get your weapon, Benedict. It will just take a bit longer."

"My patience grows thinner every minute, Lynch." The man over the phone, Benedict, warned the girl. "Get me my Animalization Ray, or else."

"Noted." The Boss, Lynch muttered before hanging up. She turned her attention to Natasha and set her office phone down. "Yes?"

"Uhm…ma'am, I'd like to ask you to reconsider approving Reese's mission, ma'am." Natasha said meekly.

Lynch simply stared at Natasha, unimpressed. Lynch stood from her seat and walked towards Natasha. Natasha backed away, frightened. Lynch simply reached past Natasha, closing the door. Lynch then walked back to her desk, taking her seat.

"Getting cold feet, Natasha?" Lynch asked in her usual dry tone. "Now, be open with me. Why the sudden erratic behavior?" Lynch gestured for Natasha to take a seat.

Natasha sat down in one of the two seats in front of Lynch's desk. She thought for a moment about what to say, as much as she enjoyed her work with the Teen Ninjas, she like many other people, people not crazy enough to blow up a base full of children, were afraid of Lynch.

"I-I'm not a killer ma'am." Natasha stuttered. "I can't with good conscience be a part of this if Reese is just going to kill all those kids. It's one thing to spy on them and derail their organization, but-but this…this is something horrible."

Lynch let out a laugh. Lynch laughed and that scared Natasha. Lynch never laughs.

"Are you familiar with the plane that went missing back in July? The one Reese put a bomb on?" Lynch asked as she stifled her laugh. All Natasha could do was nod. "Right before it went down, Natasha, we tried to assassinate the KND Supreme Leader. We failed."

"We set up a bogus peace conference, we sent in a new guy, Justin Cavallero, as you probably recall. The entire meeting was set up to give our assassin, an operative apart of Sector Q, if you'd believe, could go right up and murder Numbuh 274." Natasha nodded once again.

"But things didn't go as planned. Mission was a failure and Cavallero had to book it out of there. You see, afterward, the KND thought they could be smart by sending an operative to shadow Cavallero. We didn't find out until later because Numbuh 274 started cluing in on our activities infiltrating the KND."

"So he sent the operative to shadow Cavallero. On that very day, the day the operative decided it was time to teach Cavallero a lesson, our dear Cavallero decided to meet me in public to discuss the events of the mission."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but what does this have to do with the plane?" Natasha spoke up.

"I ordered Reese to do it." Lynch stated bluntly. Natasha's eyes widened slightly as Lynch continued to explain. "You see, the operative Numbuh 274 had sent had seen my face. Luckily in the operative's report, she assumed he was just…hitting on me." Lynch shuddered slightly. "But still, she saw my face. Eventually, who could say she would think longer about the meeting, perhaps she'd get the idea Cavallero was reporting to a superior."

"So that's when our operatives in the Spy Sector and Decommissioning Squad heard of the operatives plans to go and visit family in Mexico. I had Reese put a bomb on the plane. The Mexican Government would probably say it was the Cartel's doing, or maybe American officials would blame it on terrorists. Either way, it was supposed to have solved our problems and cut that loose end."

"Except it didn't." Lynch sighed. "She lived. All the kids on the plane lived. Nine teenagers died. The flight crew died. And then half of the adults on the plane died."

"Why are you telling me this?" Natasha asked, mortified.

"Because, you claim you want no part in all this bloodshed. You want to keep your hands clean." Lynch spoke dryer than normal. "But you already have blood on your hands Natasha. You already do."

Natasha fell silent. "We're done here." Lynch said before returning to work.

"Yeah." Natasha muttered before getting up and leaving the office.

* * *

 **It's actually kind of funny, because this story references the events of 'Kids Next Door: Agenda', another story by me which isn't actually done. But I really wanted to start up all the other stuff on my list so I'm just spoiling it. lol.**

 **So thank you kind reader! I hope you enjoyed this! I also hope you stick around for the rest, I'm think two more chapters maybe? Yea. Anyways, Later Days!**


	3. Crosshairs

**Sorry for the late update. Midterms have had me swamped as well as everyday life. Here is the penultimate chapter of 'Numbuh: 322', thanks for the patience! Enjoy!**

* * *

Back on the Island, Numbuh 322 sat in the tree line, watching the beasts rummage through the crash site. The adults and children had scattered and gone their separate ways, chased off by those horrid creatures. Their fur shimmered and changed, becoming one with the environment around them. They wailed violently and began to desecrate the plane's corpse.

They appeared to have ripped through the remains, destroying everything inside. The seats were shredded. The inflatable rafts were bitten and rendered useless. They smashed the windows fiercely and rummaged through the overhead compartments, stripping them of the luggage they cherished.

Numbuh 322 recalled the feeling in her chest. It wasn't the feeling she'd had after her encounter with one of the beasts in the cave, it was one entirely new. It welled up in her chest and she felt like she could scream. She felt mad, madder than she'd ever felt in her nine years of existence on this gem of a planet.

She hated them. She hated them for what they were doing. She hated them for what they've done.

So then Kayla dropped down from the branch she'd perched on and claimed the sharpest piece of glass on the floor and approached the nearest fowl beast.

"How you feeling sweetheart?" The roguish voice belonging to her father, snapped Kayla out of her memories.

She looked up from where she sat on the living room couch to see her father dressed in a suit. Valiant Valera was a Prison Warden, he wore a suit every day. Kayla didn't need to glance at the time on the VCR, she could tell how late it was through the window, seeing how dark it was outside.

"Feeling good, dad." Kayla answered halfheartedly. "Got a hot date?" She commented on his state of dress.

Valiant raised a brow at his daughter's use of language, mentally leaving a reminder to set up child locks on the television. Ever since the plane crash, and her safe return, Valiant had become too lenient with her activities.

"I have a meeting with the Governor." Valiant answered simply. "It's mostly about funding."

"Sounds boring." Kayla shrugged.

"I'll be back around midnight." Valiant leaned over and kiss his daughter's head.

"Okay Cinderella." Kayla waved bye to her father. "Have fun."

With her father gone, Kayla was left alone once more. She reached out for the remote, hoping the sounds of cartoon reruns would drown out her thoughts. She took the remote and switched on the modestly sized television, only for Kayla to regret her decision immediately.

"Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys Oh So Very Round And Super Chunky!" The television sang.

Kayla lost it right then, grabbing at her scalp and clawing at it. She thrashed around on the couch and screamed violently. Those terrible beasts on the Island were taunting her. She could see them on the screen laughing and joyously fooling the world, but she knew the truth, she knew they were monsters.

Tears streamed down her now rosy cheeks. Kayla reached back down for the remote, having flung it aside. She took the remote and reeled it back before throwing it at the television screen. The television sparked and died with a gruesome mangling of the sound. The Rainbow Monkey theme song began to burn distortedly, leaving Kayla uneasy.

It was the doorbell that snapped her out of her alarming thoughts. Kayla picked herself off the sofa, calmly approaching the front door as she slowly descended from her adrenaline fueled high.

Kayla knew her father well enough to know he was studious and well prepared. She knew it wasn't him at the door. Quietly, Kayla retrieved a 2x4 weapon comprised or rubber bands plywood and a battery pack from a remote controlled car. She removed the weapon from its hiding spot where it was firmly taped under the table.

She approached the door, weapon held behind her back. She straightened her curly black hair with her free hand and then opened the door.

It was a teenager, one she'd never seen around her neighborhood before. The teen was somewhere in her mid-teens, dressed professionally in a violet dress shirt and pencil skirt. She was a little adult, not quite old enough to run the world but desperately vying for that role.

It wasn't the manicured nails or fake eyelashes that kicked on Kayla's mental alarms, it was the teen's defeated almost shaking composure.

"Sorry. No solicitors." Kayla muttered as she attempted to close door, not wanting anything to do with this girl.

"No, wait!" The teen reached out to hold the door open. "You're the girl on the plane. The one that crashed."

Kayla drew her weapon from behind her back and aimed it at the teen's forehead. "I don't sign autographs if that's what you're here about." She glared.

The teen glanced at the weapon aimed at her head and then to the kid holding said gun. It was then she realized her mistake, essentially barging in on the girl and bringing up a presumably sore subject.

"I apologize." She said. "My name is Natasha Vinson. I have information that you will want to hear."

"Well get chatting desconocida." Kayla gestured to Natasha with the gun threateningly.

"I feel that this is a discussion that would be best handled inside." Natasha pleaded.

Kayla weighed her options, looking Natasha down head to toe, seeing no visible weapons. But still, there was always the possibility of the teen standing in front of her having a blade hidden in her hair, or a gun strapped to her thigh.

Kayla couldn't take the chance. "No. You have anything to say you say it. No way am I letting you in my house."

The teen bit her bottom lip. She glanced at the weapon in Kayla's hand once more and then back to Kayla. "It's about the plane crash."

Natasha's eyes flew wide open in fear as a distinctly sharp pencil shot passed her face, landing somewhere in the front yard behind her.

"Mention the plane crash again and the next one goes in the eye." Kayla threatened.

"That's what I'm here to tell you!" Natasha held her hands up defensively as tears began to well in her eyes. "The crash wasn't an accident, it was planned."

Kayla didn't pull the trigger like she promised to, instead she simply glared at Natasha but kept the gun trained on the teen. "Go on."

Natasha nodded and continued. "The plane crash was planned. A teenager name Reese Martin planted a bomb to kill you."

Kayla's glare intensified as Natasha continued. "You were targeted because of a mission you had prior to the crash. You'd seen things and Reese's superiors saw it fit to get rid of you." Kayla hadn't noticed Natasha's now tearful face. Her eyes were on autopilot as she receded into her mind.

She thought back to the island, how she'd fended off the beasts and made it to the coast with materials to make a raft. She recalled the crash itself, how the plane magically caught on fire, how the passengers screamed all around her. And then Kayla thought of the mission she was given, to shadow Cavallero.

"The blonde." Kayla gritted her teeth.

"Reese's boss." Natasha said.

"Your boss too I bet." Kayla scowled.

"Yes." Natasha's head hung low, ashamed. "You need to stop him. Reese, he's at it again. He's got another bomb and he plans to destroy the Moon Base and everyone on it."

"How's he plan to get on the Moon Base?" Kayla asked.

"As of earlier this afternoon, a pair of operatives had an accident. It was their night for guard duty on the Moon Base. They're going to replace them with Battle Ready Armor."

"B.R.A.?" Kayla raised a brow, slightly disarmed by the acronym.

"It was a way to get back at male teen operatives for pantsing the last teen leader. It makes them feel uncomfortable." Natasha shrugged.

"So what is this? Is this you apologizing?" Kayla asked lowly.

"I'm no killer." Natasha

"And you telling me who is somehow redeems you, huh?" Kayla asked rhetorically. "If you want redemption you'll give me the name of your boss, the blonde. Make my job easier."

Natasha looked at Kayla with a confused look on her face. The exact wording and tone didn't reflect one of urgency. It was plainly obvious to her Kayla had no intention of involving the KND as a whole, but rather she intended to deal with Reese on her own.

"Are you going to give me a name or what?" Kayla asked in a reserved fashion.

Natasha debated what to do, whether to give into the child's demands or not. Kayla could see the moral dilemma Natasha was mentally juggling in her head. No doubt that teen had a code of ethics, one that allowed her to divulge the identity of the teen who stranded her on that damned island but also a code that rationalized her loyalty to whatever branch of the teen organization she belonged to.

In short, Kayla knew their conversation had ended.

"Run." Kayla stated coldly. Natasha hadn't the time to wrap her head around Kayla's earlier question when she found herself faced with the child, no longer aiming a gun at her. It was all cold withheld bitter anger in Kayla and it scared Natasha. "I won't say it again. Run. Get as far away from me. When I'm done with Reese I'll be coming for you and the people you align yourself with. So run."

The sight of Natasha running as fast as she could away from Kayla would have brought a smile to any operative's face. Kayla, however, glared at thin air. She couldn't put how she felt into words.

For a moment there was a brief moment of relief, that it wasn't some cruel twist of fate that placed her on the island, but rather the ill intent of an enemy of kid kind. Soon after came the cold rage, that the boy he placed her in that situation, now intended to harm her colleagues.

Kayla returned inside, locking the door behind her. She walked to her room and changed into her mission outfit consisting of a grey sleeveless hoodie, black cargo pants and boots and finally the standard KND Combat Satchel. Kayla grabbed her 2x4 sniper rifle and loaded it with razor sharp pencil ammunition.

Kayla exited her house, walking to the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. hidden in her backyard. It had since fallen into disrepair during her time on the island. The S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. was hardly airworthy, the weapons system was fried. But the propulsion system was intact, as was cockpit. It may be the ship's last flight, but she'd reach her destination.

The S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. launched into the air, smoke fumes and all. And for the first time in a very long time, amongst the quiet, Kayla didn't find herself back on that island. Instead, Kayla found herself looking forward to the confrontation ahead of her. One could say she looked excited.

* * *

 **While I am not a fluent Spanish speaker, I intend to incorporate more Spanish into Kayla's dialogue, as she is a Mexican American character. Next update will hopefully be soon! 'Til then, later days!**


	4. Repress

**Welcome faithful reader to final chapter of Numbuh 322! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 **Kids Next Door Moon Base**

Jimmy Wilkins was an outlier who opened doors for girls. Willa March was a social butterfly who in her spare time played match maker. The pair had gone through Arctic Training together, eventually being assigned to the Moon Base.

At precisely two o'clock in Colorado, the pair of KND operatives had caught a sudden case of chicken pox. The shuttle meant to carry the operatives for their night shift sped through space, aimed at its destination, the KND Moon Base.

The shuttle passed through ray shields that protected the kids working on their 2x4 space craft from the vacuum of space. The shuttle touched down, and out of the would be empty craft, stepped out Jimmy Wilkins and Willa March. To the unsuspecting operatives who populated the landing bay, two teen infiltrators stood with them.

"Welcome to the night shift, mates." The Load Master greeted the pair. "Report to your stations as soon as possible. I recommend grabbing some Hot Chocolate from the cafeteria. It's going to be a long night."

'Jimmy Wilkins' offered a kind smile in response. The Load Master then walked off to continue his work of greeting and assessing the flow of operatives. The pair of operatives then walked off, bringing with them backpacks filled with unknown contents. The duo walked by what appeared to be wrecked S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.

The S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. was in several pieces and almost by miracle the cockpit had held together. There was evidence of a fire that had been put out, as noted by the scorch marks on the metal flooring and the foam that covered the 2x4 ship's exterior.

The duo continued walking, paying no mind to the gathered hanger crew who aimed to haul the wreck to the ray shield and toss it into space.

Up above on a scaffolding by the far wall, stood Numbuh 322 watching over the hanger through the scope of her 2x4 sniper rifle. Earlier she'd arrived on that burnt out wreck of a ship, quickly leaving it for emergency crews to take care of.

She'd been informed by a guilt ridden teenager of a planned bombing of the Moon Base. It was a race against time to find the culprit. Thankfully, Kayla was given all she needed from the teenager. The two operatives who were replaced hailed from Colorado.

Now, Kayla stood tracking the pair of Colorado natives with her rifle as they lugged bags of equipment with them past her ruined ship. Kayla neither smirked nor glared, rather staring blankly and coldly through the scope as she studied the pair.

Besides the loud racket she'd caused earlier, Kayla intended to handle this matter as discretely as possible. She wanted to face the teen who stranded her on that Island, she wanted to see his surprise and his look of defeat.

This wasn't about the Kids Next Door anymore. This was about her and she knew it.

Kayla watched them make their way out of the hanger. She quickly gathered her gear and made her way down, hoping not to lose the pair of teens in the vast halls of the Moon Base.

'Wilkins' kept a fast but modest pace. 'March' kept a smile on her face and waved back to an operative who seemingly knew her. The duo were on the clock. They needed to set up shop and get out fast.

Kayla shadowed her targets like she'd done any other. She gave them breathing space but kept them in shooting distance. She steered clear out of the paths of other operatives, lest get tripped up in the awkward moment of trying to figure out who would step out of the others way.

Kayla followed the duo down a long corridor, one she knew by heart. The hall was desolate as the only ones present were only them. The opportunity was presented to them, unless Kayla acted she knew they would begin to run in order to swiftly plant their bomb.

"Reese Martin!" Kayla shouted loudly as she began to catch up with the teens.

'Wilkins' froze in his feet and slowly turned to glance over his shoulder. 'Wilkins' eyes widened slightly, more intrigued than shocked by Kayla's appearance. "Who?" 'Wilkins' played innocently, hoping to bypass this confrontation.

Kayla rolled her eyes as she drew out her rifle and quickly took aim. Kayla lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, rapidly propelling a sharpened pencil out of the barrel and at 'Wilkins'.

'Wilkins' froze up in the moment as the pencil came speeding at him. 'March', on the other hand quickly moved in front of 'Wilkins' and produced a pair of scimitars out of her chameleon arms. She swiftly brought one scimitar upwards, slicing the pencil down the middle, causing its two halves to harmlessly fly past the duo and land somewhere behind them.

"Get moving sir." 'March' said as her armor shifted and changed, revealing Galil. "I'll deal with her."

'Wilkins' nodded and began to run for it. Kayla let off another pair of shots, only for Galil to cut them out of the air with apparent ease.

Kayla glared at the teen, unamused by her expert sword play. Kayla holstered her rifle on her Combat Satchel and dug into her pockets, producing a magazine for the rifle. She pulled two pencils out of the magazine and tossed it aside. Kayla took a pencil in each hand and aimed the pointed ends by her pinky finger. She took a fighters stance and let her facial expression do the talking for her.

"Have at thee!" Galil shouted as she ran forward.

Kayla could see the eagerness in Galil's eyes. You'd have to be a devoted mess of a person to agree to blow up a place full of children. That was her downfall, Kayla assessed quickly.

Kayla was back on the Island, staring down one of those beasts as it ran at her. The beast charged in its ever changing form and leapt forward at her. Kayla dodged to her left, spinning on her heel in order to bring down her glass shard into the beast's inner thigh.

The beast spun angrily, breaking the glass in Kayla's hands in two. It swiped at her, cutting at her hair. But Kayla had powered on through, taking the chance to ram forward and head butt the beast's chin.

The beast backed away, attempting to recompose itself, only for Kayla to throw the glass shard at its chest like a dart. Kayla jumped forward into a kick aimed at the shard, impaling the beast with it even further.

The operative snapped out of her flashback to find Galil slumped against the metal hull of the hall. Galil looked at the pencil sticking out of her ribs and then back to Kayla, who towered over her, drawing her 2x4 sniper rifle.

"You all loose in the end." Galil spat defiantly.

Kayla's retort was a simple smack with the butt of the 2x4 sniper rifle.

Satisfied with her work, Kayla returned her attention to 'Wilkins', who was still running down the hall, looking for a turn or another door to duck into, someplace safe where he could arm the bomb he no doubt carried in his back pack.

Kayla quickly raised her rifle and took aim at the teen in hiding. She pulled the trigger and shot a pencil, sure that no one would get in the way of its path this time.

The pencil struck 'Wilkins' from behind, catching itself in his shoulder armor. He turned to see Kayla running at him, firing without aim as a flurry of pencils began to rain down upon him. 'Wilkins' brought his forearms upward in order to protect his head, succeeding entirely as the pencils struck his upper body and arms.

'Wilkins' lowered his arms, only to be greeted by the butt of Kayla's rifle. 'Wilkins' fell over and Kyla took the opportunity to bash the butt of her gun against his face until she was sure her was knocked out.

Kayla checked the backpack he wore, finding the bomb unarmed. Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. She tossed the bomb aside and took the bag, recognizing some value in taking the teen's belongings, especially when finding the numerous weapons it carried.

Kayla began to drag 'Wilkins' by the collar, calmly walking back the way they came from. Along the way Kayla passed by a stirring Galil. Kayla kicked her in her face repeatedly until she'd fallen back into unconsciousness.

"There's a teenager down this hall!" Kayla shouted as she dragged 'Wilkins' into a more populated hallway.

Numerous operatives, still on alert from recent events involving exposed teenagers amongst their ranks, quickly took the initiative to investigate. Kayla wordlessly walked off with the unconscious 'Wilkins', heading back to the hanger.

As word spread of the teenager, more and more attention was directed to the hallway, no one questioned the sight of Kayla walking off with a body. Kayla boarded the shuttle the pair of teens flew in on. Kayla manned the controls and then the shuttle took off.

* * *

 **Hours Later**

When Reese awoke in the familiar internals of the shuttle he'd arrived in. His Battle Ready Armor had been shredded reveling his true form to the world. He groaned and attempted to stand, only to find himself tied down to a rolling chair. The teen caught sight of Numbuh 322 leaning against the metal hull. She turned and stared blankly at the teen.

"Who do you work for?" She asked calmly.

"Piss off." Reese said defiantly.

Kayla nodded and bit her lower lip. She pulled out Reese's pack, the one he'd brought the bomb in. She crouched and began to dig through the contents of the bag, removing a knife from the bag. Kayla looked over and began to approach Reese with the knife. Reese looked mortified, his mind already making conclusions on what the kid intended to do to him with the knife.

"Where can I find your boss?" Kayla asked, reaching out with her free hand and grabbing the back of the chair. Kayla began to drag the chair across the ship.

Reese's protests fell on deaf ears as Kayla opened the door controls. The doors plopped open and Kayla moved Reese forward so his face was pointed outside. Reese froze as Kayla tipped his chair forward.

"Answer my questions." Kayla spoke coldly. "Or I drop you."

"Oh god!" Reese exclaimed. The teen stared downward at the long fall to the landmass below. While it would brand him a traitor for sure, Reese was now beginning to consider giving in to the kid's demands.

Reese recognized Kayla the moment he saw her. She was the kid who rated a bomb on a plane. She'd come back from it all and was there to greet him on the Moon Base. It said a lot about one's character when their drive pushed them to beyond their perceived limitations. There really was no sure way to judge the truth to her threats.

"I'm waiting." Kayla muttered.

"Samantha Lynch!" Reese shouted over the sounds of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s engines. "Her name's Samantha Lynch!"

"Where can I find 'Samantha Lynch'?" Kayla growled, tipping the chair even more to intimidate Reese further.

"Rhode Island!" The teenager shouted. "We're based in Rhode Island! You can find her there!" Reese began to cry. "There, happy? Now pull me back in!"

"You know where we are?" Kayla asked rhetorically, pointing downward at the land mass below. "When I returned from here, a business company talked one of my peers into finding this island with her 'nose'." Kayla pointed the knife at Reese's nose. "The grief you've cause me has a name after all."

Kayla retracted the blade, discretely moving it against the ropes that bound Reese to the chair. She leaned forward against his ear and coldly whispered, "Welcome to Rainbow Monkey Island."

In one swift movement, Kayla cut the ropes, causing Reese to fall out of the chair. The teen's screams fell on deaf ears as Kayla calmly threw the rolling chair back into the ship. She stepped back and hit the door's 'close' button.

Kayla calmly walked to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s and began to plot a course to Rhode Island. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. flew off into the rising night as once more Kayla left that cursed Island behind her. Only this time she did so with a victorious smile.

* * *

 **And so ends 'Numbuh 322'! The final prelude story to the climactic end of Phase 1 of The Legends Universe! Don't worry, Numbuh 322's adventures will continue! SEQUELS!**

 **Next: The Prospectors!**


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